Cairo police disperse protesters with teargas and birdshot, reportedly beating anyone they can catch

[starroute]

4. My son has sent me links to things posted at an RPG board he frequents

A couple of Egyptians have been trying to explain the situation there. Much of it is what you get in the mainstream stories -- but the other part, which isn't being talked about much, is the pervasive corruption.

- Apparently Morsi isn't just favoring his friends and cronies with official appointments -- he's also attempting to reward them financially by any means available.

- Given that the country is in dire financial straits and is under pressure to agree to drastic austerity measures as the price of a bailout, it seems like sweeping privatization is in the cards. This also means that the people who now depend on the government for either employment or direct assistance are going to be thrown under the bus.

- The Gulf oil states have been funneling huge amounts of cash into the country to prop up the Muslim Brotherhood, but there's no clear sign of where it's gone. The general belief is that it's mainly wound up in the pockets of the military and police in order to buy their support.

According to those posters, all of this is the real story behind the violence. It isn't just about freedom or the ideals of the revolution being betrayed. It's the far more concrete feeling that a theft of epochal proportions is about to be pulled off and that this is the last chance to avert it.